Snowpiercer

Many films are made to send a message to their audience whether it be about politics, morals, or something meant to stretch your mind. In the case of Snowpiercer this movie pushes a critique on politics. Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon-ho in his English directorial debut was released in 2013. The film depicts a class war between the last people living on a train after the apocalypse, confining them to this train. They are confined to the train because the world is frozen over in a failed attempt to correct global warming’s effect on the planet causing the world to plunge into an ice age wiping out all forms of life. The front of the train has the rich members of the train that have a large living space and live a lavish lifestyle. The back of the train has the poor population, confined and cramped to small quarters, abused by their law enforcement. The movie depicts one international opinion of America’s capitalist society.

The use of the train is meant to discuss the wealth disparity in American society. The focus is on who controls the means of production in the train, or who keeps the train running. For the train it’s the engine room ran by Wilford the man who made the train and maintains the train. Wilford created a cult of personality around him to ensure he and the engine room would be secured. This can be seen through ‘government officials’ and their devotion to Wilford and in the school of the train. Here the children are told Wilford gives them life and to some is “divine” controlling the “sacred engine.”

The real point of contention is during the revolution between the two primary characters and how they try to make their world right. The leader of the revolution Curtis Everett, played by Chris Evans, wants to directly take control of the engine, seizing the means of production in an attempt to redistribute the power equally. He pushes the revolution forward through every hardship, even after his friend Edgar was killed in a huge battle between the tail section and the front of the train. The opposing force is in Namgoong Minsu, the only man who can open the doors through the train. While Curtis focuses on looking straight ahead to the next car Nam looks out the train and plans on blowing the door to the train and escaping the system altogether. He’s seen the snow melt outside and deduced that it would be survivable. This conflict of interest comes to a head at the end resulting in the train crashing killing all but two people. They’re two children, not very exposed to the system on the train and have to live in the cold.

The movie is a critique on the wealth disparity in America arguing even a change in power cannot shorten the wealth gap. The film only sees a massive overhaul away from the system can end the disparity. In the end it didn’t matter what the two kids had, they both had furs and would need each other to survive in the new world. While it may not be advocating a severe overhaul of the system the movie does get across the the system is flawed and very hard to change if not done right.